Two Can Keep a Secret
by Sydrianfan4ever
Summary: Hermione Granger gets locked in a closet with Fred Weasley one day during her fifth year. It is not just any old closet at Hogwarts. It likes to hold students hostage until they figure out how to get out themselves. AU. This is written for the Ultimate OTP Competition. It's now a collection of one shots.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: This was written for the OTP Competition. I used caught in a lie for my prompt. It's also written for the Star Challenge, and the monthly oneshot competition with locked in a closet as my prompt. Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. JK Rowling does.**

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Hermione was reading a book on her way back to the common room from dinner one night. She had been distracted and accidently stumbled into a closet. It wasn't just any old closet at Hogwarts. It was one that liked to lock students in there at any random time. Fred Weasley got sucked into it a second after she had stumbled in. She hadn't noticed that he had been walking behind her. She groaned to herself. How could she have not been paying attention? She was a prefect, she should've known better!

Hermione sighed as she tried opening the closet door again, but it was no use. She was locked in a closet with Fred Weasley. She got out her wand and muttered, "Alohomora."

She heard an amused chuckle from beside her. "Relax, Granger. So what if you're locked in a closet with me? I'm not a horrible person. It could be worse. You could be stuck in here with Malfoy."

She could feel a headache coming on, so she held up a hand impatiently. "Just stop talking, Fred. Please. " She kept fumbling with the door, but it wouldn't open. She tried another spell that could unlock doors, but it didn't work either.

"Why did you follow me in here anyway?" She asked him after she gave up on getting out. He didn't answer, so she lit her wand and glared up at him expectantly. "Well?" She asked sharply as he grinned down at her.

"You told me to stop talking, so I did," Fred answered, laughing lightly. "And I didn't follow you. This closet likes to suck people in."

"Oh, I hate you," she muttered irritably, smacking him on the shoulder.

"No you don't," Fred said, smirking.

"Yes I do," Hermione answered confidently as she folded her arms. She glared at him as his smirk grew.

"No you don't," Fred answered again. His eyes were twinkling with mischief now.

Hermione threw up her hands in mock surrender. "All right. Why don't I don't hate you?" She asked finally. She tried to ignore how close they were.

"George saw you doodling yesterday in the common room," he answered casually, looking down at her.

Hermione rolled her eyes as she let out another irritable sigh. "So I doodled yesterday. Big deal. Is doodling a crime now? That doesn't mean anything," she said, shaking her head in disbelief. She looked up and saw Fred's grin had widened.

"You don't remember what you doodled, do you?" he asked her seriously.

"Stick figures?" she guessed, as she rolled her eyes again.

"You wrote Mrs. _Fred_ Weasley on your parchment," Fred answered, as he continued grinning down at her. "Inside of a heart." He crossed his arms and stared down at her.

"I suppose you don't know anything about that," he said, watching her reaction.

Hermione's eyes widened as she felt her heart stop in her chest. She had doodled that? Why couldn't she remember? It didn't mean anything if she couldn't remember it, right? For Merlin's sake, she had feelings for Ron! He didn't exactly return the feelings though. "I don't believe you," she said stubbornly.

"George said you'd say that," Fred replied casually. He reached for something and produced a spare parchment.

Hermione stared down at the parchment in shock. She could see hearts with Mrs. Fred Weasley all over it. She felt sick when she saw the proof with her own eyes. "George stole my parchment? And you two talked about me?" She reached for her wand to hex him.

Fred held up his hands in defense. "He didn't steal it. You dropped it. You didn't realize it. We don't keep secrets from each other. It had my name on it, so he asked me about it."

He slowly wrapped his arm around her waist and brought her close to him. "You _like_ me. Admit it, Hermione."

Hermione's mind whirled as her mouth started to grow dry when she lowered her wand. Her heart was dancing, though she had no idea why. Fred's hands were slowly trailing down her arms and sides. She sucked in a breath and closed her eyes. She didn't want to move away from him. His touch felt so good. It felt nice to be wanted by somebody. She felt herself moving closer toward Fred like a magnet. She couldn't move away if she wanted to.

When Hermione opened her eyes, she saw that their faces were inches away from each other. She suddenly wondered if he was going to kiss her.

Her stomach started doing somersaults and she let her mouth relax. Hermione realized how much she wanted that kiss…how much she needed it. She focused on the words he had said a few moments ago.

"I don't," Hermione answered quietly. She forced herself to back away from him. She was starting to feel claustrophobic because of how close they were to each other. She hoped she wasn't blushing.

"You're lying," Fred said, studying her. He patted her shoulder as he stepped around her. "That's all right. Two can keep a secret." He brushed a strand of hair out of her face, and he let his hand linger there.

Hermione flinched at his touch. "I'm not," She answered in a low voice.

Fred chuckled as he muttered a spell to open the locked door. "You just keep lying to yourself, Granger. You'll realize the truth soon."

"No, I won't," Hermione muttered to herself disdainfully as she glared at Fred's back when he left. She finally made her way out of the closet. She was going to get Fred back for keeping that spell a secret from her.

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**A/N: Thanks for reading! Please leave a review!**


	2. The Silent Treatment

**A/N: I've decided that this will be a one shot collection. I hope this chapter was as good as the first one was! I had a bit of a writers block the past few weeks. This was written for the Ultimate OTP Competition with the prompt throwing something in anger. It was also written for the Star Challenge, and the Monthly Oneshot Competition with the silent treatment as the prompt. Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. JK Rowling does. **

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Hermione was working on homework with Harry and Ron on their favorite couch. She was still giving Fred the silent treatment whenever they were in the same room though. She was always aware of when he was in the same room though.

Ron must've been watching his brothers for awhile, because he suddenly said something about it. "Uh… Hermione, Fred keeps staring at you," he said quietly.

Hermione didn't bother looking up from the chart she was correcting. "It's not a crime to stare, Ronald," she said with a sigh. "If you ignore him, he'll stop."

"Did something happen between you two?" Harry asked casually.

Hermione threw her quill down in anger. "Absolutely not!" She snapped, shaking her head as if he was crazy for even coming up with that idea. She happened to glance over at Fred for the first time since she entered the common room.

Fred winked at her before he returned to his conversation. Hermione stared at him in shock even though he was no longer watching her now.

"He just winked at you!" Ron said, sounding completely horrified with that exchange. "Why would he wink at you?"

Hermione could feel herself turning warm, so she quickly ducked her head into her textbook.

This movement didn't go unnoticed by Harry. "Hermione?" he asked her quietly.

She slowly looked up at her two best friends. Harry looked concerned, and Ron looked incredulous. He still had an eye on Fred.

She sighed and decided to come clean with the truth. "Nobody else can know about this," she hissed quietly as she motioned them to move forward. They nodded and bent their heads close to hers.

"Fred thinks….that…I like him," she admitted finally as she shifted awkwardly in her seat.

Harry and Ron looked at each other incredulously and they busted out laughing. Hermione raised an eyebrow at them, but her annoyance grew as they continued laughing. Harry stopped laughing when she gave him a glare, but Ron laughed even harder. She finally smacked him on the shoulder with her textbook.

"It's not _that _funny!" She snapped as Ron covered his shoulder and muttered something under his breath. She decided to ignore what he said.

"It kind of is," Ron said slowly. The corners of his mouth twitched, and Hermione went back to working on homework. She started scribbling away in annoyance.

"I'm sorry Hermione," Ron said after she remained quiet.

Hermione nodded her head at his apology. "It's kind of weird, isn't it?" She asked them quietly. "The idea of…us?" She hoped her face wasn't giving anything away.

"Well… yeah. He's my brother, and you two have nothing in common," Ron answered immediately.

"Not really," Harry answered at the same time as Ron said it was weird.

Hermione and Ron looked at each other before looking at Harry in surprise. "Oh?" Hermione asked, raising an eyebrow.

"You both are smart, and it's not too weird. Plus you already know each other," he said, before shaking his head. "I'm terrible at explaining these types of things," he muttered.

Hermione lifted a hand up. "It doesn't matter anyway. I don't like him. I like somebody else," she said. Her eyes widened as she realized what she said, and looked away.

"Who do you like?" Ron asked, looking interested all of a sudden. Harry even looked mildly interested as well.

"That's private information. I'm not telling _you,_" Hermione answered. She purposefully emphasized on the word you, knowing that he wouldn't pick up on it at all.

"But we're your best friends! You know about Harry's crush on Cho!" Ron said loudly.

Harry winced as he glanced around the common room. "Thanks Ron," he said sarcastically.

Ron realized what he said and saw that people were giving them strange looks. "Sorry," he apologized. He looked back at Hermione. "You kept Krum a secret from us," he said hotly. He ignored the fact that Harry began shaking his head and waving his hands in the air to stop Ron. "I don't think you should keep this crush a secret also," he finished.

Hermione scowled as she stood up and gathered her books. "If you haven't figured it out by now, you never will," she snapped and she headed toward the girls dormitory. She was halfway up the staircase when she realized she left her Potions textbook behind.

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Hermione retraced her steps and saw Ron was now arguing with Fred. She scowled and stood right behind him until he noticed.

"What are you doing to Hermione?" Ron demanded to know, obviously not knowing that Hermione was next to him.

Fred looked amused when he saw her standing behind Ron, but she was grateful that he didn't say anything.

"Nothing she didn't start," he said casually, glancing over at her meaningfully. Hermione crossed her arms and gave him a glare.

"Yeah? Leave her alone then!" Ron said, pushing his brother's shoulder lightly.

Hermione decided it was time to step in before a fight broke out between the two. She reached for her textbook as she stood next to Ron. "I don't need you to fight my battles for me, Ronald," she said in a cold voice. Fred grinned and handed the textbook over.

Ron jumped when he saw her next to him. "But- but he's the reason you're acting so strange!" he sputtered out.

Hermione decided not to acknowledge that. She started walking back to the girl's dormitory again now that she had her potions textbook.

"You're welcome, _love_!" She heard Fred call out in an amused tone. George and Lee laughed beside him, and Hermione headed up the stairs without saying another word.

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**A/N: Thanks for reading! Please leave a review! **


	3. A Midnight Rescue

**A/N:** **This oneshot was written for the Ultimate OTP Competition with the prompt 1000 words. I had 1008 words outside of Author's Notes. These oneshots are unrelated, though they will take place in Hermione's fifth year. Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. JK Rowling does.**

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Hermione had been working on homework late for the fourth time that week. She stayed up later than Ron and Harry because she felt like she got more work done late at night. The rain and the silence were soothing to her. She was halfway through her potions assignment when she saw Fred come in.

A frown appeared on Hermione's face when she realized the time. It was well past midnight. She also realized that this was the fourth time Fred had come in late that week. She hadn't said anything to him before because she was still giving him the silent treatment.

Fred was holding his hand and wincing when he made his way through. Hermione had a feeling she knew what that was about. She placed the quill on the table and headed over to him.

"Fred?" She asked quietly when she was closer to him.

Fred jumped when he saw her, though he immediately tried to put on a brave face. "Oh, hi Hermione. Were you waiting up for me?" He asked her teasingly.

"No, I was just working on potions. What's wrong with your hand?" She asked quickly before he could walk away.

Fred's eyes widened and he stuffed his hand in a pocket. "Nothing," he answered defensively.

Hermione narrowed her eyes. She knew he was hiding something, so she reached for his hand and pulled it out of his pocket. "You've had detention with Umbridge," she muttered quietly without looking at his hand.

He looked at her in surprise. "You really _do _know everything!" he said in an amazed tone.

"Harry's had a handful of detentions with her. Wait here, I've got some Murtlap still," she said quietly, forgetting about her anger towards him.

"Why are you helping me?" He demanded to know, looking down at her.

Hermione sighed as she avoided looking into Fred's eyes. "I just don't like the idea of Umbridge torturing you…or anybody else," she added quickly so he wouldn't tease her about caring about him. She went to grab the potion and bandages before he could say another word.

They sat down on the couch and she let him soak his hand in Murtlap Essence. The common room was very quiet, so Hermione decided to say something. "So, what did you get detention for this time?" She asked quietly. She tried to avoid looking at what his hand said because she felt like it was none of her business.

Fred hesitated, and he looked a bit uneasy. "Er…I've only gotten myself into detention once," he admitted quietly. He ran a hand through his hair nervously. "I served detention for three first years. They were just having fun pulling their first pranks. I didn't want them to get in trouble, so I said I did them. Professor Umbridge believed me."

Hermione blinked in surprise. Fred actually stood up for some first years? He actually cared for them? Her arms were around his neck before she knew what was happening.

"_Hermione_!" Fred said in a shocked tone.

"Thank you," she muttered in his ear.

"You're welcome," Fred whispered, sounding astonished by the fact that she was actually hugging him.

"Maybe you aren't that bad after all," Hermione mused quietly to herself. She looked over at Fred and saw that he had heard what she said.

"I'm not," he admitted honestly. A smile started to spread across his face, and Hermione thought she knew what was coming next.

"Does this mean you'll go out with me?" He asked hopefully.

Hermione's heart danced at his words, but she just laughed sarcastically and whacked him with a pillow instead of answering.

Fred held up his hands in defense. "Hey, I'm the patient here!" He said jokingly.

Hermione chuckled before she looked down at his hand. "We should probably bandage you up now," she said. Fred nodded and held out his hand. Hermione began cleaning his cut carefully, and slowly wrapped the bandage around his hand

They sat there in silence, and Hermione tried not to focus on how close they were. Her heart seemed to do strange things when she actually noticed things like that.

Their eyes met, and he smiled down at her. "Thanks," he murmured quietly. "Do you mind if I hang out with you? It's peaceful down here. George and Lee will be snoring away by now."

Hermione widened her eyes in surprise. She couldn't imagine why Fred would want to hang out with her after how she treated him the past few weeks. She found herself forgetting why she was mad at him though, and nodded. "You are welcome. And yes," she answered finally, wishing she could say something brilliant. She now understood how Harry ended up feeling like an idiot around Cho most of the time. It was hard forming complete sentences around somebody you… she shook her head as she cut her thought off.

Hermione set the potion on the table and they leaned back on the couch. She was very aware when their elbows touched. Fred looked over at her and grinned at her at this point. Hermione jumped up as her mind whirled.

"Actually, I should go to bed," Hermione said quickly. Fred looked confused and opened his mouth to say something, but she continued before he could say a word. "I've got a potions test in the morning," she blurted out.

"I could help you study," Fred offered quietly. "I'm ahead of you after all."

Hermione shook her head stubbornly as she placed a hand on her forehead. Why was she so hot? Was she getting sick? "No. I need sleep. You know what they say about resting before exams," she said, laughing nervously.

Fred gave her a strange look. "What do they say?"

Hermione backed up quickly. "Never mind. Bye!" She sprinted upstairs and left behind a very confused Fred before he could say another word.

When Hermione was safely in her room, she let out a sigh of relief. She didn't know why it suddenly felt dangerous being near Fred Weasley now.

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**A/N: Thanks for reading! Please leave a review! **


	4. Dumbledore's Army

** A/N: Wow, I've updated this twice in one day! I love writing this so much. These are pretty much just head canon things. This was written for the Ultimate OTP Competition of course. The second part of this chapter follows a Dumbledore's Army movie scene. Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. JK Rowling does. **

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Hermione hadn't been happy with how Professor Umbridge was teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts at all. Fred and Harry's detentions made her more upset, and she had decided to do something about it. She had gotten the idea that Harry should teach them, along with a few others. Fred and George happened to be the first few people she told. She had been kinder to Fred since their last meeting, though she still avoided being alone with him whenever they happened to be in the same room.

Fred happened to catch up to Hermione after she delivered the news to him and George. "You are aware that this sort of thing might get you expelled, right?" He whispered in his ear.

"Yes, I am," Hermione said, keeping her head forward as they walked together.

"You're telling me that you are actually willing to be expelled if this fails?" Fred asked in an awed voice.

Hermione sighed as she looked around them to make sure that nobody was listening. "Some things are worth getting expelled for," she muttered, looking up at him. "We're in a war. We have to defend ourselves," she said defensively.

Fred held his hands up quickly. "I'm not arguing against your logic. I'm just surprised that a prefect like you is willing to break a bunch of rules, and decrees."

"People can surprise you," she muttered quietly, as she started walking away from him again.

"Yes they can," Fred answered, shaking his head. "Hey, Granger!" He called out after her. Hermione sighed as she turned around to look at him again.

"I'll see you later," he said, winking at her before he went to catch up with George and Lee.

Hermione could feel her cheeks turning warm, so she quickly turned and started walking to her next class. She couldn't help but feeling pleased by the fact that he had winked at her.

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**Fred's POV**

The first few meetings of Dumbledore's Army had been successful. Fred admitted that he came to most of them to see Hermione, though he wouldn't tell anybody about that. George didn't even know that he was falling for her. He thought that he still had feelings for Angelina, though Fred had gotten over her a long time ago.

Harry was now teaching the group how to stun people, though he was teaching everybody in pairs. Ron and Hermione were the second pair to have practice it.

Fred couldn't help but smirk as he watched Hermione step toward the center of the room. "One sickle," he muttered in George's ear. Fred and George had been placing bets against Ron ever since they were thirteen and he was in his first year.

George looked at him and grinned. "You're on."

They watched in anticipation as Hermione focused on the spell before she waved her wand and shouted, "Stupefy!"

Ron flew backwards across the other side of the room, and Fred chuckled. "Thank you," he muttered triumphantly as George slipped him a sickle.

"Shut up," George muttered, narrowing his eyes at him.

The meeting ended awhile later, though Fred didn't want it to end. He liked these meetings because he knew they were actually doing something that Umbridge really wouldn't like. He also loved having an excuse to be in the same room as Hermione was in.

He lingered in the room for a few minutes as everybody started to clear out. George waited impatiently to get going on their next invention they were working on. But when Fred didn't join him immediately, he headed over to him.

"You all right, Freddie?" George asked, raising an eyebrow.

Fred shook his head as he looked over at his twin. " Yeah, sorry. I thought I forgot something." He glanced involuntarily over at Hermione, and George followed his gaze.

"I'll bet you have," George muttered quietly, smirking as he crossed his arms expectantly.

"Is there something you want to tell me?" George asked, raising an eyebrow at him.

Fred sighed as he started walking out the door. This conversation wasn't one he wanted Hermione overhearing. "I don't know what you're talking about," he said, though he knew George wouldn't buy it. He could tell when Fred was hiding something.

"You _like_ her," George said teasingly. " How long have you liked her? Why didn't you tell me?"

"It's complicated," Fred answered as they walked down a staircase. "I just don't think she likes me like that. She always gets weird whenever we're alone."

George's eyebrows flew up at the last two words. "You've been _alone_ with her?"

Fred sighed again. He really didn't want to get into this right now. It was confusing, and he was hungry. "Let's go to the kitchens," he said, changing the subject. George looked like he was about to say something to him, but he thought better of it and nodded.

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**A/N: Thank you for reading! Please leave a review!**


	5. A Lifetime Quidditch Ban

** A/N: I decided to have this chapter be in Fred's POV for once. I hope nobody minds the change. I used the prompt red for the Ultimate OTP Competition. This chapter was also written for some other competitions. This has 687 words. This is AU obviously. Thank you everybody for reviewing, favoriting, or following this! I really do appreciate it. Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. JK Rowling does.**

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Fred had been moping on the couch hours after everybody else had gone to bed after the first Quidditch match of the year. He hadn't been able to sleep when he first went to bed. George and Lee's snores had annoyed him, so he decided to go to the common room for some peace. He still couldn't believe he had been banned from playing when he hadn't been doing anything. Fred knew that he _would've_ attacked Malfoy if he had the chance for insulting his family though.

Fred suddenly heard stairs creaking. He saw Hermione standing in front of him a few moments later.

He normally loved the fact that Hermione had graced him with her presence, but he really wanted to be alone right then. "I don't need a lecture from you, Hermione," he said, sighing as he turned toward the opposite direction.

"I wasn't going to lecture you," Hermione said softly.

Fred's eyebrows flew up in surprise. "Really? You aren't going to say that the professors are always right and need to be worshipped? You aren't going to say that I deserved what I got? I _did _want to fight him after all. Isn't that breaking a rule in your book?" he snapped.

A hurt expression appeared on Hermione's face, and Fred immediately regretted snapping at her. He knew Ron and Harry often blew up at her, and she didn't deserve it from anybody else.

"I was going to see if you were all right. I saw a light on down here and figured it was you or George. But if I'm such a bother, I'll just go back to bed," Hermione snapped, turning to leave.

Fred stood up quickly and reached for her hand. "Hermione, wait. I'm sorry. Don't go."

Hermione hesitated. Fred saw that she looked unsure, so he began talking quickly. "I really didn't mean to snap. I get like this whenever I'm frustrated, and I know I shouldn't have taken it out on you. It's not your fault that my broom is locked up in Umbridge's office. You didn't kick me off the team. Redheads have fiery tempers," he offered as a last resort.

This caused an eye roll from her, but Fred felt relieved when he finally got a reaction from her.

"I understand," she said as she sat down at the edge of the couch. "I'd be upset too if I were you. You loved flying."

Fred nodded. "I didn't love it as much as pranks. But it was still an important part of my life."

Hermione's expression turned dark, and Fred couldn't help but wonder what she was angry about now.

"I hate her," she grumbled angrily. "You didn't deserve this. Malfoy didn't even get into much trouble. He started this."

A smile started to spread across Fred's face. It was almost worth getting in trouble to see Hermione's reaction.

She narrowed her eyes when she saw him grinning at her. "What?" She asked skeptically.

"Nothing," Fred said innocently. She looked at him like she didn't believe him, so he decided to change the subject. "Want to go down to the kitchens with me? I'm starving."

Hermione looked startled when he asked her that, and it took her a moment to recover. "You might get caught," she answered slowly.

"Where's the fun in life if you don't take risks, Granger? Come on, live a little," he said in an encouraging tone.

This earned him another glare. "I've taken plenty of risks, thank you," she said haughtily.

"One more won't hurt you then. I won't get you in trouble," Fred answered.

"All right," she said, sighing. "But if we get caught, I'm going to pretend like I have amnesia," she warned, following him through the portrait.

Fred just smirked at her and let her pass first. "Ladies first," he sang out.

"I must be crazy," he heard her mutter as she walked passed him.

Fred resisted the urge to say, "Yeah, crazy for me." He thought she wouldn't go through with this if he teased her about it, so he settled for smirking again as he led her toward the kitchens.

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**A/N: Thanks for reading! The next chapter should be out soon.**


	6. Stolen Moments

**A/N: Hey everybody! This is the last chapter that will be written for the OTP Competition. I will still be continuing this even though the competition ends this week. I used the prompt drama here. This has 1,872 words.** **Thank you for following, favoriting, and reviewing this! This chapter is AU because Hermione wasn't at Grimmauld's Place until after they knew Mr. Weasley was ok. I had her show up earlier here. Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. JK Rowling does.**

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Hermione had been worried about Fred ever since she arrived to Grimmauld's Place from her ski trip with her parents during the Christmas break. He hadn't taken the news about his father being in hospital well at all. He kept to himself in the corner of the room, or on the staircase. He had yelled at Sirius and Remus a few times, though she knew that he was just scared about Mr. Weasley being at St. Mungo's. She actually missed him though.

She saw him go upstairs without being excused at dinner, and she stood up to follow him. George looked up in surprise, though he immediately shook his head. "Hermione, I don't think it's a good idea to talk to him right now. He won't talk to us. He won't even talk to _me,_" George said. He looked hurt, and Hermione looked toward the staircase.

"That's why I should talk to him," she said quietly. "He needs somebody. I have to try." George must've seen the look of determination in her eyes because he nodded a moment later.

She looked at Harry and Ron. "I'll see you guys later… hopefully," she muttered quietly when she excused herself. Harry nodded, and Ron narrowed his eyes at her slightly, but he didn't say anything.

Hermione walked up the stairs and knocked softly on the twin's bedroom door. She pressed her ear against it, but she didn't hear anything. She opened the door and saw that Fred was sitting on the corner of his bed with his head buried in his knees. Her heart sank, and she wished she wasn't witnessing this. It was too late to turn back now.

Fred looked up suddenly when she sat down next to him. He had tears coming out of his eyes, though he quickly tried to hide them as he sat up straighter. "Hermione?" He asked quietly. He shook his head and his face hardened. "I don't want to talk to anybody," he said harshly.

Hermione was taken aback by Fred's attitude. This wasn't the Fred she knew. The Fred she knew was kind and always smiling. He pulled pranks and made people laugh. She couldn't believe that she had ever hated him.

"Then we won't talk," she murmured quietly. Their eyes met, and Hermione slowly wrapped her arms around him and held him.

Fred stiffened for a moment but then he nodded and buried his head into her shoulder. Hermione ran her hands through his hair as she made soothing noises.

Fred pulled away after he sobbed quietly in her shoulder. "Wh- what if he dies?" he asked quietly, looking up at her.

Hermione remained quiet as she stared down into his eyes. She didn't want to give Fred false hope when they didn't know how Mr. Weasley really was. She didn't want to leave him in this state either.

She placed a kiss on his forehead and lightly ran a hand through his hair. "I'll be here for you," she promised him softly. "No matter what."

Hermione leaned her head against his shoulder. "I miss you," she admitted quietly.

Fred looked shocked when he heard that. "I haven't gone anywhere, Hermione."

"Yes you have," Hermione answered quickly. She held his hand and didn't let go of it. "Please come back. We need your jokes, your smile, your laughter, that look you get in your eyes when you prank somebody-" a sob escaped, so she turned away from him and placed her hands around her face to hide the tears that were coming out.

"_Hermione_!" she heard Fred say in a stunned voice. Hermione ignored him and scooted away from him as tears kept coming out of her eyes.

Fred pulled her into his arms and held her against his chest. He had stopped crying, though Hermione was embarrassed about the fact that she was the one crying now. "I'm sorry, Hermione. I'm so sorry."

Hermione's sobs had finally quieted, and she was finally able to look up at Fred again. "Don't leave us," she murmured softly. "We need you." _I need you. _She couldn't say those words then. This was the wrong time. Fred looked down at her with a serious expression, which was rare for him. But he nodded. No more words needed to be said then. They just continued to hold onto each other while they waited for news.

Mrs. Weasley finally came home the next day. Hermione and Fred had been sitting on the staircase, but Fred stood up when she got home. "How's he? How's dad?" Fred demanded when the others joined them at the bottom of the staircase. Mrs. Weasley looked at each of them and she placed her hand on Fred's shoulder.

"He's fine." Relief spilled over Fred's features, and Hermione let out a shaky breath she hadn't realized she was holding. Their eyes found each other when everybody began talking to each other, but Hermione knew it would be awhile before they would get a chance to talk again.

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Hermione and Fred didn't get a chance to be alone together again until Christmas night. Hermione couldn't sleep, so she decided to go to the twin's bedroom to check on Fred. She had been meaning to talk to him the past few days, but she had been more concerned about Harry since he had been convinced he was possessed by You-Know-Who. He had that idea out of his head now thanks to Ginny mostly.

Hermione quietly snuck out of their room when she was certain Ginny was asleep and headed toward the twin's bedroom. She felt nervous for sneaking to their room because she had never snuck out at night to visit Fred before. The idea of sneaking out to see him caused her to blush more than it should, but she missed him.

When she reached their door, she knocked softly before opening it. Fred and George jumped when they saw the door opening and quickly started hiding boxes. Fred sighed in relief when he saw that it was her and not Mrs. Weasley.

"Hermione, what are you doing here?" Fred asked, walking over to her.

"I…uh," Hermione swallowed nervously when she noticed that Fred didn't have a shirt on. George smirked at her before he threw a shirt at his twin. Hermione looked away pointedly when Fred realized what got her all flustered.

"Oh, blimey. Sorry about that," Fred apologized as he pulled the shirt over his head.

Hermione wanted to say it was ok, but she found that she actually didn't mind seeing him shirtless. He tilted his head curiously at her and raised an eyebrow. She blinked when she realized she had been staring at him and shook her head when a knowing smile appeared on his lips.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't be here now. We can talk some other time," she stammered as she started to turn toward the door.

"Wait," Fred said, grabbing her hand to stop her. "We can talk now…" he glanced over his shoulder at George before looking back at her. George ducked his head and immediately began acting like he wasn't paying attention. "Let's go to the study room. We can talk in private there. Please?"

"Okay," Hermione whispered softly. She should've said no, but she knew she wouldn't sleep that night unless they talked again.

Fred looked surprised at the fact that she agreed to go there with him, but he didn't tease her about it. He held the door open for her instead. "I'll be back," he muttered to George, who had been watching them again.

George nodded, though Hermione was glad that he didn't smirk at her this time.

Fred shut the door, and Hermione started growing nervous. "He won't tell anybody about this, will he?" she whispered.

Fred shook his head confidently. "Not if I ask him not to. You can trust him. And _me_," he added pointedly. He placed a hand on her back to lead her toward the study room. "Come on," he said encouragingly. "We shouldn't talk out here."

Hermione nodded and they made their way into the room.

"What were you two doing?" Hermione asked curiously, once the door was locked.

Fred stiffened at her question. "Inventory," he finally answered a few moments later. "We're trying to get ideas of what jokes Hogwarts students like before we leave. I can't reveal more yet though. George would kill me."

Hermione opened her mouth to pursue the question further, but she decided to drop it. He trusted her enough to tell him that alone. That was enough for now.

"Why did you come to see me, Hermione?" Fred asked before she could think of something to say.

"I…I just wanted to see how you were. You were so upset when we didn't know what would happen to your father. I told you I'd be here either way," Hermione answered. She could feel her cheeks starting to grow warm as Fred continued to search her eyes for the answer.

_ He was trying to make her say it, _Hermione realized with a start.

She closed her eyes and breathed in nervously. "And…And I…missed you," she said finally.

Fred's expression changed when she admitted that, and he walked closer to her and wrapped his arms around her.

Hermione stiffened at first, but then she relaxed as she smelled his familiar scent and buried her head into his shoulder. "I was so scared for you. For everybody," she admitted.

Fred wore a serious expression when he pulled away from her slightly and looked down at her. "I don't know how you got through to me. I wouldn't even let George talk to me. I was too upset. Thank you for being there though."

"That's what friends are for," Hermione muttered as she lightly ran a hand through his hair. Fred looked disappointed, though she didn't know why he did all of a sudden. She couldn't wonder about that now. Ginny could wake up and come looking for her.

"I should go," she said, pulling herself away from him. She didn't know if she could trust herself to be around him much longer.

Fred didn't answer. He instead pulled her close to him again and lowered her head to kiss her before she had a chance to realize what was happening. The kiss was the kind that made her knees weak. It was slow and sweet, and she couldn't help but respond to it. Viktor's kisses never made her feel like this before. She finally managed to pull away after a moment.

"You shouldn't have done that, Fred," she said softly, looking up at him.

"But I wanted to," he murmured quietly. He continued looking deep into her eyes and brushed a hair out of her face. "I've been wanting to do that for a long time. Ever since you told George and I that the age potion wouldn't work last year. I was embarrassed when you ended up being right about that," he admitted, chuckling softly.

"Yeah?" she answered breathlessly. She smiled up at him. "You should've kissed me a long time ago then." Fred opened his mouth to answer, but Hermione interrupted him when she placed her lips on his to kiss him again.

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**A/N: I know. I'm evil for ending the chapter like this. I hope everybody liked this chapter. Please leave a review! **


	7. The Talk

** A/N: I'm not sure how I feel about the chapter yet, but I wanted to post it today since I got a snow day from work. I'll be working the next three days, so I'm not sure when I'll update again yet. I ended up using one more prompt from the Ultimate OTP Competition. I used the prompt "Is this what you really want?" This has 1308 words. It was also written for the As Strong As We Are United III competition. Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. JK Rowling does.**

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Fred and George were showing off some new inventions after a DA lesson when Professor Umbridge stopped them with a flick of her wand. Fred folded his arms and glared at her as he started to go after her. Somebody pulled him back though, and he looked down and saw that it was Hermione. The other students around them looked disappointed, but they were starting to disappear.

"She'll only put you into detention again. I don't want her slicing up your hand again," Hermione muttered, grimacing at the memory.

George was standing next to Fred, and Fred grinned at him. "She cares," he said teasingly, looking back at Hermione.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "I'm going to the library," she said with a huff, though she held Fred's gaze a little longer as she said that.

Fred caught what she meant and looked at his twin. "I'm going to look up some stuff for our inventions. I'll see you at dinner?" he asked as he started to walk away.

It was George's turn to roll his eyes this time. "You don't have to keep secrets from me. I know there's something going on. I'm not going to tell anybody," he answered, glancing at both of them.

"There's nothing going on," Hermione answered truthfully.

Fred nodded in response. They had kissed on Christmas day, but they hadn't had a chance to talk about it yet. He hoped that this meant that they would finally talk about it.

"Whatever," George said, though he grinned at Fred to show that he wasn't really annoyed.

Fred's attention returned to Hermione when George walked away. "You want to go for a walk?" he asked her.

Hermione nodded. "Yeah… let's go by the lake though. Nobody will bother us there at this time of the night," she answered.

It was starting to get dark out then, though Fred didn't care that they were close to curfew. He didn't let curfew keep him from doing what he wanted to do, unless if they were dire circumstances. He actually followed it when students were being petrified and when Sirius Black escaped from Azkaban. Professor Umbridge's detentions didn't scare him though.

They started walking toward the lake quietly, and Fred moved closer and reached for her hand. He was pleased when she wrapped her fingers in his. When they reached the lake, they sat down next to a tree. Silence formed between them and Fred cleared his throat nervously before he began speaking. "We need to talk about the kiss."

Hermione hesitated when he said that, though she nodded. "We kissed more than once that night," she pointed out, grinning.

A chuckle escaped Fred's lips as he ran a hand through his hair. "That we did." He gazed down at her seriously. "I just want you to know that those kisses meant something to me. I didn't see it as a onetime thing."

Hermione squeezed his hand lightly when he said that. "They meant something to me too," she admitted shyly. Fred grinned as his stomach flipped when she said that. "But that scares me," she finished finally.

Fred gave her a questioning look. "Why does that scare you?" he asked her gently.

She shrugged her shoulders. "They scare me for lots of reasons. You're older than me. We're complete opposites. We've already fought loads of times. And I've never felt this way about anybody before. I really like you."

Fred laughed softly before answering. "Well, they say girls mature quicker than guys do. We're probably on the same maturity level. I am a kid at heart still though. I don't know if you noticed, but I love pranks and jokes." He paused as they laughed together.

"Age doesn't bother me. Sometimes opposites attract each other and help balance the other person. I could make you laugh more and loosen you up, and you can show me when to be serious. I think we fought so much before because you were trying to ignore your feelings for me," he added, winking at her. This caused Hermione to roll her eyes at him and to smack him lightly.

"And for the last part… I've never felt this way about anybody before either. So we'd be new at that." Fred continued saying.

He reached up and ran a hand through her hair lightly before placing a kiss on her forehead. "I really like you too. I think we should go out on a date and see where this leads," he finished. Fred studied Hermione's expression as she sighed and looked off somewhere across the lake.

"I don't know, Fred. I just… don't want everybody knowing that we're dating. I hated the publicity I got when I was dating Viktor last year," she said, shuddering at the memories.

Fred narrowed his eyes at the mention of Viktor's name, though he decided not to say anything about that. Ron often got jealous of Viktor, and those two usually ended up fighting over it. "Yeah, but I'm not Viktor. I'm not a famous Quidditch Seeker. I might run a joke shop one day-" sooner than she knew, he added silently to himself. "But at the end of the day, I'll still just be Fred Weasley."

"Who happens to be an older brother of one of Harry Potter's best friends," Hermione reminded him.

That thought hadn't occurred to Fred, and he winced. "Blimey," he cursed softly, kicking at a rock. He could see what Hermione meant.

"And if we date, all eyes would be on us because I'm Harry Potter's other best friend," Hermione said. "We're in a war. You-Know-Who could use you because he'd know that you were close to Harry through me. I couldn't bear the thought of him torturing you. He's already gotten Ginny once."

Fred wrapped his arms around her and rested his head on hers. "What if we dated in secret?" he asked a few moments later. His eyes lit up as sat up. "We could date and not tell anybody about it. I'd eventually have to tell George because he's my twin, but we could make it work!" Fred said as he looked down at her.

"We'd be living a lie," Hermione answered quietly. "Could you do that? Could you lie to everybody you care about? I don't know if I could keep this from Harry and Ron."

Fred thought about it for a few moments. "If George knew, I could live with it. I can't keep secrets from him, but I could keep it a secret from everybody else. Especially if it meant that I got to be with you." He lifted her chin and kissed her slowly.

Hermione pulled away after a moment. "Is this what you really want?" she asked him seriously.

Fred's answer came without thinking twice about it. "Yes. It's what I want," he said in a determined voice.

Hermione sighed, though she studied his expression again. She ran a hand through his hair before nodding finally. "Ok. I'll go on a date with you," she answered finally.

Fred's heart leaped in his chest when she said that, and he couldn't stop grinning.

"George can know…but I don't want anybody else knowing. We're already going to be figuring us out ourselves, and there's You-Know-Who…"she trailed off as Fred hugged her.

"That's all right. One date is all I ask for," Fred said happily. He already couldn't wait until he told George about this!

Hermione laughed as she shook her head. "I have no idea what I'm in for, do I?" she asked, as her eyes danced.

Fred shook his head. "No. You really don't. You're in for an adventure." He wagged his eyebrows up and down before he laughed and took her hand. "Come on. We should get back. I don't want you to get in trouble by Professor Umbridge or anybody else. I've got a short cut."

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**A/N: I hope this chapter was less evil than the last one was. Thanks for reading! Please leave a review.**


	8. For Old Time's Sake

** A/N: I'm sorry this update was longer than the others. I had some family stuff going on last month, and I just stopped writing for awhile. I should be able to update this more often though. Maybe once a week, or once every two weeks. It depends on my work for being patient! I'm not sure how I feel about this update because it was a hard one to write. But I got it done! This has 1,680 words. It's written for the As Strong as We are United III Competition. Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.**

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A few weeks later, Hermione was the last person in the common room late one night, when Fred came back downstairs. They had decided to meet up after midnight again for old time's sake, though people were less likely to catch them together during that time as well. He walked over to her and wrapped his hand in hers. "Are you ready?" he murmured quietly.

Her heart danced in anticipation as she glanced around the room nervously before smiling and nodded.

They headed toward the seventh floor, and Hermione suddenly realized that they were going to the Room of Requirement. "We're going here for our first date?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, this room is unplottable on the Marauders Map. Harry and Ron won't know we're together in here if they happen to look at it at anytime tonight," Fred explained, wearing a confident grin. "You did want to keep our date a secret from everybody. This was the best option I thought of," Fred said as he waved at the door.

"All right," Hermione answered, smiling at him. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders loosely as they turned to look at the door. "Let the date begin," she said finally.

Fred grinned broadly. "I thought you'd never say that," he said happily.

Hermione couldn't help but smile at his words. Sometimes she thought she'd never say those words either. But she surprised herself. She took a deep breath, feeling very similar to how she felt the first time she entered platform nine and three-quarters as they finally walked into the Room of Requirement. Hermione had no idea what to expect, but she had a feeling that Fred did by the way his eyes were twinkling.

The first thing she spotted was a pool table. Her eyes flew up in surprise as she walked around it, tracing its edges. "What's this?" she asked, hoping that her tone sounded more casual than surprise.

Fred chuckled as he crossed his arms. "You don't know what this is? It's a pool table. It's a muggle game."

Hermione gave him an impatient look. "I know _that,"_ she said pointedly. "I've been to some pubs with my parents on holiday before. How do you know about these? You're pureblood," she pointed out. She hated that she stereotyped him just then, but pool tables really weren't common in the Wizard world.

Fred shrugged his shoulders lazily. "George and I found a bar in Egypt and we managed to learn how to play before Mum found us and threatened to ground us when we got home. She was already mad at us for trying to lock Percy in a tomb though." A wicked grin played upon his lips as he recalled the memories. His expression suddenly turned curious as he studied her reaction. "Does Ms. Brightest Witch of Her Age actually know how to play pool?" He looked at her in awe while waiting for her answer.

A chuckle escaped her lips. "A bit," she answered flirtatiously. "But I'm not very good at it," she added honestly. "I don't know if I could play against you though." The thought of that made her feel nervous, since she imagined him being good at it.

Fred's eyes twinkled again. "Oh, come on Hermione. It's just us two in this room. Nobody else is here to see you play." He waved a hand around the empty room. Hermione gulped as she realized once again that they were alone. "I thought this would help you relax and have some fun. Please?" He gave her a pleading look.

"All right," Hermione said finally, moments later. "Don't say I didn't warn you," she warned, pointing her finger at him as she picked up a stick.

He brightened up as she agreed. "Noted," he said as he expertly started racking up the balls. "Ladies first," he said, motioning for her to make the first shot. Hermione gave him a look and Fred held up his hands defensively. "I'm only trying to be a gentlemen," he answered defensively.

"Here goes nothing," Hermione said finally as she took the cube ball and aimed it at the balls across the table. She sighed as the cube ball managed to lap around the table and made its way back to her. "I told you I wasn't good at this," she said, groaning. "Your turn."

Fred chuckled as he walked over to her. "That's ok. That was only your first shot." He took his turn and managed to get two solid colored balls in. "You're stripes," he said when it was her turn.

A few turns later, Hermione was trying to focus her aim on the stripped ball in the far corner across her. The cube ball bounced off the corner and missed the ball completely. "What am I doing wrong?" She demanded in a frustrated tone.

Fred grinned as he picked up the cube ball and placed it back in the original spot she had it moments ago. "Ok, first of all, you're holding the stick wrong. Secondly, you need to relax. This isn't a Potions exam. This is only a game." His last words were affectionate. "Here, I'll show you."

Hermione was suddenly aware of how close they were to each other when he stood behind her and placed his hand over hers. His touch made her distracted, and she peered over her shoulder to glance at him. Her glance caused his eyes to meet hers, and she suddenly felt warm when she realized how much she wanted to lean in a bit more and kiss him. Her mind flashed back to their last kiss, and she suddenly tore her gaze away from him to focus on the task again. She didn't move away as he guided her through the shot and actually made the ball go in.

"I made it!" She cheered, as a triumph grin appeared on her face. Hermione suddenly threw her arms around his neck. "Oh, sorry," she apologized, backing away slightly.

Fred smiled slowly. "Never apologize for hugging me," he answered softly. The two continued their game. "Here's an interesting twist. For every shot you make, you tell something you either like about me, or something about yourself. I'll do the same," Fred said suddenly after Hermione made another shot.

The suggestion made Hermione slightly flustered, but she nodded and paused to consider her options. "I like how you and George don't live by the rules," she admitted shyly. "My parents have always told me that rules shouldn't be broken, so I try not to break them."

She missed the next shot and turned to him. "Your turn."

Hermione watched as Fred made his shot. "I like how loyal you are to Ron and Harry. And I like the fact that someone like you wants to be with someone like me."

A blush appeared on Hermione's face as the last ball sank in. "I feel the same way about you," Hermione admitted shyly, moving closer toward him.

Fred looked down at her. "Yeah?" he asked softly. Hermione nodded. She couldn't speak if she wanted to then. "I can't stop thinking about our last kiss," he admitted. "Can I kiss you now?"

Hermione nodded without thinking about it. "Please," she murmured. Fred didn't waste another second. He lowered his head and placed a slow, soft kiss on her lips. Hermione's lips met his hungrily. To her surprise, Fred pulled away quickly. Hermione gave him a questioning look.

"I don't want to take advantage of you on our first date," he answered. "This isn't a hook up. You're different from the other girls,"

"You aren't taking advantage of me," Hermione answered softly, surprising herself.

Fred shook his head stubbornly. "I want to take things slow this time. I want us to actually work. Let's go get ice cream or something." Hermione felt confused, but she nodded and they headed out the door.

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Hermione and Fred managed to stay up until four a.m. eating ice cream and talking, though they stopped eating ice cream hours ago. They made their way back to the Gryffindor common room, yawning, though both were wearing sleepy grins while holding hands. When they entered through the Portrait door, Fred stopped her.

"Some first date, huh?" Fred asked, grinning at her.

"Eh, it wasn't bad," Hermione said, pretending to think about it. "I'm glad I got to know you more though," she admitted softly. She blushed when Fred pushed some hair out of her face.

"I'm glad too." He gave her a cheesy grin. "So does that mean that we get a second date?" he asked her hopefully.

Hermione gave him a mock shocked look. "One wasn't enough?" she teased him.

Fred shook his head adamantly. "No way!" he said in a mock scandalized tone.

Hermione pretended to ponder seriously over her options, but she moved closer and kissed his cheek. "I think the odds of a second date are good," she muttered softly. "Thanks for not taking advantage of me earlier," she added.

Fred looked down into her eyes. "I meant what I said," he murmured softly. He wrapped his arms around her and hugged her. "We should go get some sleep," he told her finally.

Hermione sighed reluctantly. "I suppose. You're a bad influence on me," she added, poking his side as she laughed softly.

"Who, me? Never!" Fred said as they headed toward the stairs. Hermione stopped at the last stair and rolled her eyes. Fred chuckled and she watched as he took two stairs at a time. She shook her head as she headed to bed herself. Maybe there's a chance that she really would fall in love this time, she thought to herself as her head hit the pillow. Crazier things have happened before.

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** A/N: Thanks for reading! Please leave a review! **


	9. 93 Diagon Alley

**A/N: So, this is a pretty big chapter. I think this is my favorite update so far. I had so much fun writing it. I don't normally do this in my stories, but I borrowed some words from JK Rowling. So if a part is recognizable, they are rightfully hers. Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. JK Rowling does. If I did, this is probably what would happen. It is slightly AU. This is written for the As Strong as We're United Competition, and the Disney Character Challenge in HPFC as well as a few other challenges. It has 2,460 words. I hope you guys enjoy this! It's told in Fred's POV. Thanks for all of the reviews, follows, and favorites. You guys are amazing. This collection isn't ending yet. I still have some more ideas.**

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Easter holidays came and went. Fred and George had quit pulling pranks over the holidays, and Fred admitted to Hermione that it was for her sake in front of Harry and Ron. George was the only one who had picked up on his comment. Harry and Ron had been too clueless, and it surprised Hermione at the time. The twins began causing trouble when term picked up again though.

Fred knew that their time at Hogwarts was coming to an end, especially when things at their shop were finalized. He felt guilty for not revealing any of his plans to Hermione, and George wasn't helping his guilt at all. _George was supposed to be the sensible twin_, Fred thought to himself as they climbed up the flight of stairs to the Gryffindor tower.

**"**You need to tell her our plans. I can't believe you haven't told her yet!" George said to Fred as the twins were heading back from Transfiguration.

Fred sighed as they climbed up the stairs to the Gryffindor tower. "And how am I supposed to start a conversation like that? 'Hermione, your hair looks lovely today. By the way, George and I are dropping out'?"

George sighed in frustration as he slung his bag over his shoulder impatiently. "Yes, that's what you're supposed to do at this point." He widened his eyes as he saw Hermione sitting with Ginny. "Go talk to her now! Right now, right now, right now!" George pushed Fred hard as he said those words.

"Ow! Geez, mother," Fred said sarcastically. He didn't know why George cared so much. He was the one that was dating Hermione.

_"Now,"_ George hissed as he went over to join Angelina and Lee.

"Ok!" Fred hissed as he sighed when he looked at Hermione. She looked so carefree, so beautiful…if only he didn't have to tell her this news…. George was right though. Now was probably the best time to talk to her. He approached Ginny and Hermione's table slowly. He could feel that George was watching him, though he wished he wasn't. He was nervous enough about this.

"Hi, Hermione. I was wondering if you could help me find a book at the library? I've got a killer Potions essay due next week." Hermione jumped when Fred addressed her, and Ginny glanced at him suspiciously.

"She's two years below you," Ginny pointed out.

Fred grinned. "Yeah, but she's a walking library. She knows where everything is at the library better than Madam Pince does. I don't want to waste my valuable time looking for a _book." _He made a face at those words.

Ginny seemed to buy this since her gaze turned to Hermione instead. Hermione was avoiding eye contact, but she nodded. "Sure, Fred. I'll go to the library to help you find this book. Ginny, I'll see you at dinner?"

Ginny narrowed her eyes. "Sure. But I better get details of this later," she warned as she waved Hermione away.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "This'll be completely boring and _non_-detail worthy," she said in a bored tone as she gathered her books.

"Yeah, I'm sure I'll fall asleep while Hermione looks for the book," Fred couldn't help but add. "She always takes forever at the library." Oops. That comment earned him a glare from Hermione, though he couldn't help but feel like this was working in their favor.

Hermione whacked him in the shoulder with her book. "I won't be doing all of the work. You'll be helping too. You aren't blind," she snapped at him as she stood up. Her gaze softened when she met his eyes briefly, and Fred had to hide a smile.

"You're right," Fred said cheerfully. "I'd have to be blind to not notice how beautiful you look today," he said, glancing down at her and winking. He grinned as Ginny threw him a strange look. Hermione blinked, though he couldn't help but feel pleased as he saw two pink spots appear on her cheeks. He loved catching Hermione off guard like this.

"Come on, there's no time to waste!" Fred said, pulling her by the hand. He waved at Ginny and glanced over at George. George gave him a relieved smile and gave him a thumbs up sign as they exited the common room. Fred could feel his confidence disappearing as they continued walking toward the library. He closed his eyes. _It was nice knowing you, George, _he thought to himself. He was pretty sure that Hermione was going to kill him soon.

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Fred could see that Hermione was opening her mouth to say something, but he held up a hand. "Can you not yell at me now, please?" he pleaded. "We can talk in private." Hermione scowled, but continued to follow him.

They didn't get a chance to go to the library like he planned though. Before Fred realized what was happening, they were being sucked into the secret closet that sucked them in before. A grin spread across his face as Hermione groaned. "Not this _stupid_ closet again! I've never even heard anything about it! It's not in Hogwarts: A History-"

Fred cut Hermione off by backing her into a wall. He closed his eyes and captured her lips and pulled her into an embrace. The kiss caught Hermione off guard, but she relaxed in his embrace and kissed him back. The kiss started off slowly and gently like it usually did before, but it quickly electrified when he kissed her deeply with passion. They continued for several long moments, and he wrapped his arms around her. His stomach started to get that sensation that caused it to knot like it usually did when they kissed, causing him to pull away breathlessly.

Hermione slowly opened her eyes and gazed at him with some sort of wonder. "Wh..what was that for?" she managed to breathe out.

Thoughts started whirling around in Fred's mind as he looked down at her. _I love you._ The sudden words caused him to stumble backwards in shock, and his eyes widened. No, he couldn't say _that_ right now. They were in a secret relationship. If he told her that, then everything would change. Those words terrified him. He couldn't say now, not before George knew it too. There was another reason he couldn't tell her right now. He tried to gain focus on it as he tried to remember what it was. He let out a breath as he remembered it.

The shop.

"Fred?" Hermione's voice sounded gentle and worried. He closed his eyes and breathed in deeply. "Are you all right?" She ran a hand through his hair, and he caught it and held on.

"You…you aren't going to like me in a minute," he began to say after his breathing turned to normal. "Not after what I have to say." He swallowed nervously as Hermione gave him a confused look.

Hermione laughed softly as she pulled him into a hug. "You're my boyfriend… of course I'll like you. You can tell me anything," she said gently.

Fred's heart leapt when she called him her boyfriend and his eyes widened in surprise. They had been dating for a few months now, but they hadn't actually said boyfriend or girlfriend out loud yet.

Hermione pulled away from him, looking embarrassed. "I'm sorry," she muttered. "I feel silly for saying that now."

He caught her and pulled her close to him again. "No, I like the sound of it. I've never…been anybody's boyfriend before. I want you to be my girlfriend too. But before you decide to keep me…" Fred swallowed nervously. "I've got something to tell you."

Hermione gave him a questioning look, but stayed quiet to allow him to continue. "Harry gave money to George and I so we could open a joke shop. It was his winnings money. He didn't want it, and forced us to take it. As you already know, we've been inventing all sorts of things. We finally found our premises recently. And…we're dropping out of Hogwarts tomorrow during our diversion for Harry."

Hermione's eyes widened as she dropped a bag she was holding. "Wh-what? You're leaving? You can't leave Hogwarts! Your seventh year is the most important-"

Fred shook his head as he wrapped his arms around her. "Hermione…school has never been important to George and I. Not like it is for you. We've always dreamed of opening our own joke shop. And now we finally have. There isn't anything left at Hogwarts for us besides you. Dumbledore's left. And we can't _stand _that old hag. We have a few pranks up our sleeves especially for her." He grinned, though it disappeared when Hermione sniffed as she looked down.

His heart sank when she suddenly buried her head into his shoulder. He slowly wrapped his arms around her protectively as she cried. "Hermione…don't cry, please," Fred murmured softly, stroking her back gently.

"I'm scared…I'm scared for Harry, and now I'm scared for you too. I don't want you two to get punished. Harry won't listen to me, and you're leaving Hogwarts? It's not fair! Hogwarts needs you. I need you," Hermione said as she pulled away.

Fred gently wiped away the tears that were streaming down her face. "You'll still have me," he said finally in a hollow voice. "I may be leaving, but I'll still be yours." He lowered his head and kissed her cheek gently. "If you'll still have me?"

Hermione sniffled as she looked down. He was glad to see that her tears were gone when she looked back up again. "I'm yours," she said softly, nodding as she kissed him again. "Please, be careful," she whispered.

He nodded as he wrapped his arms around her and held her. "I will be," he promised her. They continued holding each other for several long minutes until they finally decided to go back to the common room. Tomorrow was going to be a big day. Fred had to put all of his energy into it if he was going to keep his promise to Hermione. He wasn't going to let anybody get caught if he could help it.

* * *

It was almost show time, and Fred hadn't seen Hermione all day. He was sort of glad he hadn't seen her, because he might've talked himself out of leaving if he had seen her. He told George a little bit about what happened last night, but not about the I love you part. He was keeping that to himself for now. Those words would distract him if he thought about them too much like he had the night before. He could tell George about that after the prank.

They left the common room for the last time, and Fred paused to look at his twin when they left. George had been silent since they pretended to eat a last meal earlier. "Ready, Forge?"

George glanced over at his shoulder and smiled mischievously. "Ready, Gred." They nodded at each other simultaneously as they made their way toward the Gregory the Smarmy's corridor to put their prank into action.

Their prank was completed successfully. However, it gained almost everybody's attention since everybody began circling around them. Fred was careful not to look for Hermione, especially when Professor Umbridge and Filch showed up. George and Fred glanced at each other when they realized they were cornered, but Fred kept his cool as Umbridge began speaking.

"So! So… you think it's amusing to turn a school corridor into a swamp, do you?"

Fred grinned. _This woman had no idea who she was dealing with, _he thought to himself thought to himself before answering. "Pretty amusing, yeah," he said, not showing any signs of fear.

Filch waved his stupid form toward Umbridge. "I've got the form Headmistress. I've got the form, and I've got the whips waiting… oh, let me do it now…"

Fred suddenly spotted Hermione, and her eyes grew fearful at the word whips. He wished he could tell her everything would be ok, but he knew he couldn't then.

"Very good, Argus," Umbridge said. "You two are about to learn what happens to wrongdoers in my school."

His gaze returned to Umbridge. "You know what? I don't think we are," he said confidently. He turned to his twin. "George," Fred said. "I think we've outgrown full-time education."

"Yeah, I've been feeling that way myself," said George lightly.

"Time to test our talents in the real world, d'you reckon?" asked Fred.

"Definitely," George said.

They raised their wands and said together, "Accio Brooms!" Fred waited, though a crashing noise let him know that this part of the plan was working. Their brooms hurtled along toward them.

"We won't be seeing you," Fred told Professor Umbridge as he mounted his broom.

"Yeah, don't bother to keep in touch," George said as he did the same.

Fred looked around at the crowd. He briefly caught Hermione's eye one last time, though turned his attention back to the crowd. "If anyone fancies buying a Portable Swamp, as demonstrated upstairs, come to ninety-three Diagon Alley, Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes," he said loudly. "Our new premises!"

"Special discounts to Hogwarts students who swear they're going to use our products to get rid of this old bat," added George.

"STOP THEM!" Umbridge cried. Fred knew this was no use though. They already flew fifteen feet into the air.

His eyes found Peeves, who was across from him. Fred gave him a fixed, determined look. "Give her hell from us, Peeves." Peeves swept his belled hat from his head and sprang to a salute as Fred and George wheeled about to tumultuous applause from students below and sped out of the open front doors into the glorious sunset.

* * *

Fred and George made it to their joke shop awhile later talking a mile a minute. They were comparing notes on how the prank went when an owl arrived shortly after they got there. George caught it as it dropped a letter, and handed it to Fred.

"It's for you," George said, giving him a knowing wink.

Fred recognized the handwriting immediately and broke out into a grin. "It's from Hermione," he said as he walked over to the stairs to read the letter in private. The letter was only one line long, but it caused him to keep his smile for the rest of the night.

_ You were brilliant,_ the letter started. _I'm so proud of you._

"What did she say?" George said as he came up behind him a few moments later.

"That I'm brilliant," Fred answered cheerfully, handing the letter to his twin so he could read it. Fred couldn't help but think that everything would be all right from here on out.

* * *

**A/N: Thanks for reading! Please leave a review! **


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